Symbols of Power: Phoenix
by moonsliver86
Summary: Jenrya or Ryo? Two years after the death of Jenrya, Ruki and Ryo are engaged and are set to be married. However, their pasts keep on coming back and Ruki has to choose... (mainly Jenruki for the first chapter)


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The moon shines so bright and covers the whole world with soft rays of light. It comes and goes along with the romances that make our world go round. The silver rays of the moon shall bring forth new relationships and new friendships that would only be realized through the nights that pass by. This is the reality of silver moonlight!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. I'm just using the characters to satisfy my hunger for spice in my life. 

Note: This will be my first fic after a long year of absence. I hope that this will be able to help me regain the feel of fanfiction writing once more and thus, enable me to finish the other sagas I've begun but were unable to finish due to schoolwork and the pressures of teenage life… Anyway, the "Symbols of Power" series will hopefully just be a collection of stories on love, hate, despair and disillusionment. The first installment of this series will be "Phoenix" – a tale of death and rebirth?

Pairings: Ryouki/ Jenruki (Tamers)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance/ Drama

This is a separate series from my long unfinished sagas "Playing Games" and "Writer's Block"…

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**Symbols of Power**

**- ****Phoenix**** -**

_By silver moonlight_

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_There are some points in each of our lives when we have to face the shadows of our past in order to take a step forward towards the future that awaits us. And it is from the ashes of our past that a __Phoenix__ is born… The __Phoenix__, a symbol of power, is a savior of all but saver of none… It does not save us from the mistakes of the past nor does it save us from the horrors that may lie ahead, instead, it redeems our mistakes by living…_

*** Ruki's POV ***

Quiet. Emptiness. Grief. I stood in front of his grave for the umpteenth time and yet, I could not help but feel that there was something I could have done to stop him. I do not know… Maybe just maybe I could have done something to save myself from feeling this way… from feeling guilty… I was not always like this. I was NEVER like this. I never dreamt or believed that I would be so emotionally battered and hurt by the death of one such pacifist. What has he done to me? What has he done to the coldness that once protected me? Could it be that...? NO! It can't be… Could it?

I stared up into the gloomy grey sky, waiting for some answer that I knew I wasn't going to get. I knew. I knew that there was no GOD. There was no one up there. Why? Because if He did exist then He wouldn't have let him die… 

I know! I know! I shouldn't blame God for his death but who else is there to blame… The Digimon? Takato? Me?

_Silence…_

Was it me? Was it my fault? Was it because of me that he... NO! What's wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking about the past?

Sighing, I slowly reached for my cellphone to check on my work when someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. I quickly turned to face him and was greeted by smile, a smile that I haven't seen in quite a while.

"What are you thinking about, Ruki?" asked the man who was now in his late twenties, "Don't tell me that you're still thinking of your work at a time like this…"

"Of course not…" I quickly replied, smiling for the first time that day, "I wouldn't do anything like that, Takato…"

Takato was no longer the 12-year old boy that I used to know nor was he the 18-year old high school student that I used to hang out with but a mature and good-looking man in his late twenties. He was still the same-old optimistic, sensitive and caring Takato that I know and care for but he was more mature now, a husband and father even.

"I know…" answered Takato, kneeling down beside Jenrya's grave, "I know, Ruki…"

Lowering a bouquet of flowers atop Jenrya's grave, Takato began to pay his respects to the one person he once considered his best friend. Like a silent speech, Takato's eyes told me that deep inside his happy smiles and cheerful greetings, Takato was deeply affected by Jenrya's death. Even I…

"It's been four years, hasn't it?" I whispered softly, my eyes staring at the words embedded on the tombstone that stood in front of me, "Jenrya…"

"Huh? Did you say anything?" Takato asked, cleaning his slacks of dirt.

"Iie, it's nothing… I was just talking to myself…" I replied, trying to shift the subject away from the past, away from Jenrya…

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" asked a soft female voice from behind me, "Ruki?"

"Jeri…" I greeted back, "It's nice to see you again…"

"Jeri, weren't you going to stay in the car? The doctor said it's best for you to stay away from places like this, you know?" asked Takato, very worried about Jeri for some strange unknown reason that I know nothing of.

"Doctor Schmocktor! I'm only two months pregnant! It wouldn't hurt for me to pay my respects to your best friend…" replied Jeri, her stomach not showing any signs of being pregnant.

"Pregnant? That's good news… Congratulations…" I said quickly, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"As of now, we don't know yet but we're hoping that it'll be a boy…" replied Takato, "Actually, we just came from the Doctor's Office before we came here…"

"Oh…" I replied when I was suddenly cut off by a hyperactive Jeri.

"How come you haven't come to visit us again? Mariko's looking for her Auntie Ruki, you know…" asked a smiling and happy Jeri.

"Hai… Hai… I'll go visit after the plans for my engagement and marriage with Ryo's smoothened and planned… Okay?" I replied, "By the way, don't hesitate to bring Mariko with you to my Engagement Party two weeks from now…"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" replied Jeri, "There being free food and all…"

"So… You're just going there for the free food, eh?" I replied jokingly.

"Hey! When you're husband is a manga artist and your other source of income is his family's bakery, anything for free is a big help…" Jeri replied jokingly, "But, congratulations on getting engaged… Congratulations to the two of you…"

_Ring… Ring…_

I reached for the cellphone in my bag and answered it, "Moshi Moshi…"

"Makino-san, the client from America is here, should I ask him to wait for you to come back or should I send him to Kawata-san?" asked a voice from the other side of the receiver.

"Umm… Tell him that I'll be there in 30 minutes time, Kawata-san won't be able to handle this guy…" I quickly replied, ending the call as fast as I could.

"Still working at a time like this, eh?" remarked Takato.

"Well… It's hard being one of the top executives of an advertising firm in Japan when one's only 29!" I replied, "Besides there's nothing really exciting happening in an advertising firm… Anyway, how's your manga doing?"

"It's doing pretty well… Who would have thought that our adventures when we were young would be such a hit among the children these days…" Takato replied, "It's just too bad that someone couldn't be here with us today…"

"By the way, Ruki…" asked Jeri, seemingly trying to change the flow of the conversation, "Have you done it with Ryo yet?"

"JERI!" shouted Takato, his face blushing furiously at Jeri's remark.

"What do you mean 'done it'?" I asked, blushing slightly at Jeri's subtle yet easily understood innuendo.

"You know what I mean…" replied Jeri, winking at me.

"Jeri, I think we should go now…" said Takato, trying to stop Jeri from totally embarrassing him, herself and myself.

"Okay… I think oba-san would be too tired of taking care of Mariko by now…" replied Jeri, "Ruki, see you on your engagement…. Don't forget to do it with Ryo, now… Ja ne…"

"Ja ne…" said Takato, a large sweatdrop forming on his head.

"Ja ne…"

*********

I waved goodbye to them for the last time as they slowly disappeared from my line of sight. I stared at the tombstone in front of me once more and sighed. I didn't know what was happening to me. I was engaged for goodness sake! It's not as if my soon-to-be husband was ugly or poor or uncaring… Oh no, he was the opposite… He's a charming, pretty well off lawyer of one of Japan's largest law firms and to top it all of, he's kind and caring… But… But, I couldn't help to feel as if a part of my life is missing…

I love Ryo and I know that I do! But… Why do I feel this way?

*********

I said farewell to the tombstone finally that day and slowly made my way towards the car park. Suddenly, my cellphone rang…

"Ruki… This is Ryo... Up for some dinner and a movie tonight? There's this nice restaurant that I want to show you…" asked a soft baritone voice from the other end of the receiver.

"Ryo-chan… Sure… I'd love to… How about you pick me up at my place by seven? It'd help me get over Jenrya's death anniversary…" I replied.

"Jenrya…" whispered Ryo hoarsely, followed by a long pause of silence.

"Anything wrong?" I asked.

"Iie… No, it's nothing… I was trying to remember something… That's all…" Ryo replied, his voice quavering slightly, "Seven at your place, okay?"

"Sure! Ja matte!"

"Ja!"

*********

*** Ryo's POV ***

Sighing inwardly, I put the phone down, many thoughts and memories of the past suddenly flooding my mind. Memories of the past, the shadows that I've been trying to push away were suddenly reappearing in my mind, flooding me with memories and images that I wished I never seen. Emotions long forgotten began to take hold of me once more and suddenly, I couldn't help but shudder at the thought that it was because of me that…__

A knock on my door…

"Akiyama-san, your clients are here…" announced my secretary, shaking me from my reverie.

"Who?"

"The ones from the Z-Tech Company…"

"Umm… Sato-san, can you tell them that I'm sorry but I can't meet with them right now?"

"What should I tell them if they ask why?" asked Minako, "A family emergency perhaps…"

"Yeah… Thanks, Minako… I owe you one… Tell them that if they want I can meet them in the afternoon…"

"No prob… Just tell me this, though, are you going somewhere or something?" asked Minako.

It was just like Minako to want to know every little detail of what I'm doing… Ever since she became my secretary when I entered this law firm, she has been such a help to me. I would have fallen for her if I hadn't met Ruki but now's not the time to think about that Ryo! Answer damn it! Stop daydreaming!

"Umm…" I replied, clearing my throat after staying quiet for too long, "Nothing special… I'm just going to visit a friend… I sort of forgot about it and just remembered now…"

"Just like you to forget something like that, Ryo…" snickered Minako, "Is it with your girl friend? Makino-san? 'Coz if it's I'm never going to forgive you for forgetting a date!"

"Iie… Someone you don't know…" I replied, finally fixing the messy pile of paperwork cluttered all over my office desk.

Standing up from my not so comfortable office chair (now, we know why older people get backaches), I grabbed my car keys and quickly put on my suit jacket, "Take care… I'll be back by two in the afternoon…"

"Take care, too, Akiyama-san…" replied Minako, still racking her brain to find out who it was I was meeting.

"Aargh! Who could it be?!!" shouted Minako as I left the office.

**********

*** Ruki's POV ***

After a few minutes on the road, I finally reached the building where I worked. Taking the elevator to the twentieth floor, I tidied myself up a bit and prepared myself for the presentation that I was going to give our American clients.

Beep… Beep…

The elevator soon came to a stop and as the elevator doors opened, I heard a loud shouting sound.

"Those damn Americans! I couldn't believe that they just rejected our advertising ideas just because they thought that it was too un-"American"… Hello… We're in Japan… We can't be too AMERICAN…" shouted a middle-aged man in his 40s, wearing a gray office suit.

"What happened?" I asked one of the nearby secretaries.

"Kawata-san said that he could do it without you and began the presentation to the American clients…" replied the young woman in her early twenties, "I don't think it went too well…"

I should have known that he would do something like this… That's why I told him to wait for me… Why do people never listen?

"Are the Americans still there?" I asked, hoping that I would still be able to salvage this seemingly dead deal.

"I think so… They haven't left the board room yet…" replied the secretary.

"There might be hope yet…"

*********

*** Ryo's POV ***

"Takato, do you think it's time that I told Ruki the truth? We're getting married in less than a month and yet, I still haven't told her about…"

"I can't answer that question for you, Ryo… You should tell her the truth when you're ready to tell her… Even if I told you what to do, that doesn't mean that that would be the right thing to do…" replied Takato.

"Demo…"

"You went to visit him before you came here, didn't you?"

I nodded, words suddenly escaping me at that moment.

"Can't you stop blaming yourself for everything? It wasn't your fault…" 

"Takato, how can I not be the one to blame? If it weren't for me…"

"Urusei… Stop it… Listen to yourself… Is this the Ryo that was once the legendary Digimon Tamer talking or someone else? Move on, Ryo… You can't keep on going back to the past you can't change…"

"It's easy for you to say that since you didn't do anything wrong…"

"Ryo… I just as guilty as you are… If I were stronger… If I didn't flinch then... Sigh… I'm just as guilty as you are, Ryo… So stop beating yourself up…"

"You did what you could, Takato… But I caused it… That's what makes the difference between the two of us…"

"Will you stop it?! You know fully well that this is not what he wants to happen…"

"I know… I know… But I can't help it…"

"I know what you mean… But he's gone… And as sad as that may be, that's the irrevocable truth…"

"I just wish that I could turn back time…"

"But if you do that… Ruki… Jenrya… And you…"

"I'm willing to risk it if it would mean that he'd still be alive today…"

"Well… I guess it all depends of Ruki then…"

"Yeah… I guess…"

"So, how's life?"

*********

Sitting there in Takato's living room and talking to him made me feel a lot better about myself and although the panging guilt still lingered, I felt ready to go back to the real world, the world of practicality and apathy. Checking my watch for the time, I realized that most of an hour had already past and yet, it felt as if it were just a brief moment in time. Sometimes time just seems to pass by too quickly especially at times when you feel at ease. Sometimes I even wonder if time was but another obstacle in our lives and yet, sometimes time heals…

Not wanting to take anymore of Takato's time, I started to stand up from my seat when Takato stopped me.

"Ryo, I want you to tell me something before you leave… Do you love truly love Ruki or is it because you feel indebted to him that you do?" asked Takato, his eyes shining with a gleam of concern and worry.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't truly love her… At first maybe, I felt that way but now, it's a very different story… I feel at ease with her as you do with Jeri…" I replied, not truly sure if what my mind was saying was truly what was in the deepest regions of my heart.

It was true that I love her but now that Takato mentioned it, questions began to fill my head again and as much as I wanted to brush them away and push them into the back of my mind, I knew that I had to answer them soon…

"That's all I wanted to hear, Ryo…" said Takato, although his eyes still reflected the same look of worry and concern as it did when he asked me the question.

"Well, thanks , Takato… I better get going, though. My client may still be waiting for me…" I said, preparing myself to take leave.

"Sure… Come back anytime to talk or anything… I'm usually here or at the manga studio…" replied Takato, his normal cheery self resurfacing once more, "Don't forget to send us your wedding invites!"

"Of course, I won't… Ja… Takato…"

A final smile, a wave goodbye and then the soft click of the door and I was back into the real world that I feared and yet excelled in. I am a "survivor" and this world that men have built is supposed to be nothing for me and yet, sometimes, I just want to curl up into this tiny ball and be in my own world away from all the problems of reality. But that is impossible and I had accepted that… But why am I feeling this way?

Walking along the sidewalk towards the parking lot where I had parked my car, I looked left and right at the changing scenery of what I used to call my neighborhood. The old candy store that I had spent some of my childhood years in was now yet another office building that was scattered all over the modernizing city. Memories of the old were now being erased and replaced by those of the new with no care or feeling of sentimentality over them. Sometimes I wonder if growing up was actually better… When we were children, we wanted to protect everything around us but now, all we think of is how to make things easier for ourselves without thinking of the other stuff. I guess, that's one of the things you give up when you become older…

Sighing deeply for yet another time that day, I reached for my car keys in my pockets and drove off towards my office to finally get my day over with and be with the one I love, Ruki…

*********

*** Ruki's POV ***

Fumbling around with my apartment keys, I finally managed to find the right ones and unlocked the front door. Dropping the keys on the foyer table, I quickly closed the door behind me and opened the lights. Taking off my blazer, I walked towards my bedroom and gathered all the things I needed for a nice relaxing bubble bath. Heading towards the bathroom, I dropped my blazer in the clothes hamper and turned the hot water on. My body was pretty sore after a hard day's work especially after Kawata nearly cost us a million dollar contract. Removing the rest of my clothes, I stepped into the lukewarm water of the bathtub and slowly moved myself into a more comfortable position. With the hot water caressing my whole body like a dozen hands dipped in hot oil and the bubbles blanketing the surface of the water, my body was slowly but surely refreshed and ready for my date that night.

The soft sound of water dripping down the sides of the bathtub was like a gentle lullaby to my already tired body but as much as I wanted to stay there in that water paradise, I knew that I had to get out and prepare myself for my date that night. Carefully stepping out of the bathtub, I grabbed a nearby towel and drained the water of the bathtub. Drying myself quickly, I wrapped the soft towel around my chest and proceeded to my bedroom closet in search for a suitable outfit for the occasion. Finally deciding upon a sleek black cocktail dress, I lowered the dress down atop my bed and headed towards my dresser mirror.

********

*** Ryo's POV ***

Driving my car down the clogged streets of the metropolis, I watched as the people pass by, each individual, and each organism living in the same world by its own rules. I watched as the kids ran past the rest of the crowd, rushing home just in time for dinner. I watched the teenagers walking in groups, talking and joking, with little or no care about anything else but that particular moment in time. Their movements were unpredictable, sometimes they walked fast, sometimes they preferred to stroll along but they still walked together. I watched the adults take their own paths, walking in their own way, having their own monotonous paces towards some place I know not where. But there were some adults who did not walk alone but together with each other. Two adults hand in hand, walking towards the same direction, one faster than the other. And yet, the one who walked faster pulled the other one forward, making sure that they got there together.

That scene made me remember my past – both the happier moments and the sadder ones. And as much as I wanted to stay and watch the scene unfold in front of my eyes, I knew that I had to move on and drive away for such a scene is but a scene of reality and not reality itself. Reality was calling me towards somewhere else, towards someone else, and I didn't want to go against such a call.

"If fate brought us together, fate will definitely bring us back together if we get separated…" I told myself softly.

I believe in fate but not in blind fate. It is fate that brought me there at that particular moment in time… It was fate that made me who I am… But, fate is not something that binds us for we are made to choose and it is from our choices that fate acts. We control our lives but it is fate that moves us…

Driving down the crowded streets of the metropolis, I once more watch the myriad of colors that pass me by. The simple colors of life and beauty filling my world. When did I last revel in the beauty and majesty of life? I have been too busy with work to care.. to notice… Yet, every time I am with Ruki, a certain part within me suddenly begins to spark, awakening the "real" me who has fallen asleep -  asleep from the sleeping potion of monotony and uniformity. 

And yet, I am afraid to awaken this "real" me within me for I fear that the past shadows are still attached to this hidden part of my being. I fear that if I awaken this sleeping behemoth of my past, I would lose the one who has been able to awaken it, I would lose the one who made me see…

_Driving… I am still driving towards you… I am still trying to get to you… But why am I stuck in this lonely yet clogged road?_

********

*** Ruki's POV ***

It wasn't as if this was the first time I've gone out on a date with someone, but I had this nagging feeling that there was something wrong. I don't know if what I'm feeling right now are just pre-date jitters or something but I just can't put a finger over it… It's indescribable and the more I think of it, the more nervous I become…

It's as if a cold hand is squeezing my heart, causing it to beat slowly and then releases it, causing it to beat even faster – a continuous pattern of slow and fast, cold and warm. I look at the ticking clock laid upon my bedside table and realize that it was still quite early – 6:30 to be exact. Sitting deadly still and silent, all I could hear was the slow, monotonous ticking of the clock and this peaceful rhythm slowly relaxed me slightly.

Deciding to drink a cup of coffee to relax, I stood up, headed towards the kitchen, and quickly made myself an instant. It didn't taste as good as when it's brewed but it was okay – the energy boosting effect was still there. Sitting there on the kitchen counter with a warm cup of coffee in my hands, I looked around the whole room when something inside the storeroom by the kitchen caught me eye. 

From where I sat, it looked like a medium-sized cardboard box but that was not what caught my eye. It was the words written on the side of the box – Lee Jenrya… 

Standing up from where I sat, I couldn't explain why or how my mind somehow willed my body to move towards the box. Slowly, I found myself closer and closer to the box as if by some strange phenomena, I was being magnetized towards it. Magically, as if time stopped for an instant, I found myself holding the box in my very hands and laying it upon the kitchen table.

********

*** Ryo's POV ***

I glanced at my watch and sighed in relief, it was only 6:45 and there were only about five more blocks before I reached Ruki's apartment. The traffic was terrible! Piles of cars filled up the already narrow streets of the metropolis and all I could see on the horizon was a large mass of slowly moving metal.

I'll be there soon, Ruki… And then, I'll tell you the truth…

********

*** Ruki's POV ***

After wiping off the thin layer of dust that have accumulated on its sides, I began to slowly and carefully open it and peered in to check what was inside. Although the thought of opening it never came to mind in the past, that didn't mean that I didn't care for the box. I cleaned it every time I had my spring-cleaning, placed it in the stockroom and sort of forgot it over the rest of the year. It wasn't as if I didn't treasure it, it was just that I didn't feel like opening the pandora's box of my past. In fact, it's been four years since I've received it from Takato but there was something different about today that gave me the sudden urge to open it. 

Peering inside, I found some of Jenrya's old clothes, most of them being presents from me, and some of Jenrya's old stuff – memos and some old stationary that he used to write his love letters to me in. It was just as I had expected. Takato had given me the box the day after Jenrya was buried saying that since I was his girlfriend that I should keep his stuff, well, at least the stuff that he got from me. Takato, on the other hand, had kept the rest of the stuff that Jenrya's parents were willing to give away. 

Picking up a dark green cloth jacket from the box, I remembered the cold October night when we were still in high school…

**_*** Flashback ***_**

"Ruki? Have you ever wondered what would happen when one dies?" asked Jenrya, lying down on the slightly damp field of grass beside me and the telescope.

"My dad always said that once people die, they get reincarnated as a new being with no memory of his or her existence but I don't think that's what really happens… What about you, Ruki? What do you think happens when we die?" continued Jenrya, turning his head slightly to stare deeply into my eyes as he waited for an answer.

"I don't know… I guess when we die, we just die…" I replied, pouring myself a cup of hot cocoa from the thermos bottle that we had brought.

"Don't you think that there's something else after death? That our lives don't end when we die…" rambled Henry, staring at the night sky.

I don't know why but at that particular moment in time, I couldn't answer him. I just stared into his deep grey eyes and sat there quietly, waiting for Takato to arrive with the star maps we had to fill up for Science Class. A cold breeze suddenly blew in and as much as I tried to warm myself it was just too cold for my taste. 

It was then that Jenrya stood up from where he was lying down, took off his dark green jacket and placed it on me, without as much as a word.

"It's cold tonight, isn't it?" asked Jenrya, lying back down on the cold damp field of grass wearing only a normal T-shirt and jeans.

"Yeah…" I replied, "Thanks…"

And at that moment, I blushed… I wrapped the jacket around me tighter… I don't know maybe I just felt very cold at that moment or maybe I just wanted to have it near me…

Takato came a few minutes after that and the next day, Jenrya had a slight cold and I guess, I knew why…

**_**** End Flashback ****_**

Clutching the dark green jacket tightly in my hands, I couldn't stop tears from welling up in my eyes. Soon enough, azure beads began to fall down my cheeks – beads that I quickly wiped away with my hands. 

Placing down the dark green jacket on the kitchen table, I began to go through the rest of the stuff and came upon a small figurine of some sort. Upon closer examination, I realized that it was a cellphone ornament, the ones that you hang outside your cellphones... I wiped away some of the dirt that have collected on it and slowly, I began to recognize what it was…

**_**** Flashback *****_**

"A Renamon ornament for my cellphone! What am I going to do with something like this?" I remarked as I was handed the small ornament by Jenrya.

"It's cute… And I even bought myself a matching Terriermon ornament for myself…" Jenrya replied, smirking happily, "Couldn't find one for Takato though… Well, he did design his own Digimon…"

"But a cellphone ornament?! What am I going to do with it?" I remarked once more.

"Umm… How about use it?" Jenrya replied nonchalantly, "I'm using mine…"

"It's just not me…" I replied, staring at the yellow plastic figurine in my hands.

"So be it… If you don't want it then I'll just take it back…" started Jenrya, "I'll just go back and walk for hours and hours searching for the store I bought it from and then beg the storeowner on my knees for him to take it back… And then, my knees would be so sore after that and I would have to spend my time at home… And then, I'd lose you since I can't go out… And then, you'll get married and I'll be a bum walking down the streets and then…"  
  
His tone was sarcastic yet very cute and I couldn't help but smile at what he was doing.

"Oh, alright… I'm going to use it but you have to promise me that you'll never do that annoying routine again…" I answered.

"What do you mean routine? I'm innocent…"

And that was how Jenrya was able to make me put a Renamon ornament on my cellphone… 

**_**** End Flashback ****_**

_Why does he always come back to haunt my memories? Why does this past of mine follow me?_

The once eerie silence that blanketed the cold kitchen was shattered by the soft yet heard sound of the falling object. Waking up from yet another reverie, I realized that the cellphone ornament that I had held so carefully in my hands had found its way down to the floor.

Picking it up and putting it back into the box, I found myself rummaging through the rest of the things that were inside "pandora's box". I set off on a seemingly endless search for memoirs of the past that I wished I'd forgotten and yet, dreamed of reliving. 

**_**** Flashback ****_**

"Minna… With only a few minutes separating us from the New Year, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing…" voiced the announcer in the background.

"Ruki…" whispered Jenrya as he gently grabbed my hands and made me look straight into his eyes.

I looked straight into his grey eyes and I knew that something was up. His usual calm and quiet demeanor was suddenly tense and jittery.

"Hai, Jenrya…" I replied, my eyes suddenly being fixated to his.

"Ruki, I have something to tell you…" whispered Jenrya softly, grasping both of my hands with his own.

My heart began to pound faster. 

"Ruki, wo…" stuttered Jenrya, "zhen de zhen de hen ai ni…"

"Ai…" I whispered back, not really fully understanding what he said but I knew what "ai" meant – it meant "love".

"Ruki, after all these long years that we've spent together, I can't deny the feelings that I have been bottling up… I love you, Ruki… And if that makes you hate me then so be it…"

Giving me no time to even reply, Jenrya gently lowered his lips unto mine, his arms wrapping around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him.

The soft music from the orchestra flowed through my ears as the sensation of the moment filled my body. At that moment, I felt as if heaven found its way on earth. And as soon as it began, it ended, leaving behind nothing but emptiness…

"Gomen… I don't know what came over me to do that…" remarked Jenrya, quickly pulling away from me and shying his head down.

Walking slowly towards him, I took his face into both of my hands and forced him to look into my eyes.

"Why are so sad, Jenrya?" I asked him.

"Because I know that you would never love me back…"

"And who told you that I won't…"

"Ruki…"

"Sometimes, you amaze me with your intelligence and yet at moments like this, you're such a baka…" I joked, hugging him.

"Yeah…" replied Jenrya, smiling once more as he hugged me back, "I am such a baka… a baka who's fallen in love with you…"

And soon, fireworks lit up the beautiful night sky. And although the fireworks lost their glow, the stars continued on shining – shining down on all of us… My life at that moment also became lit - lit by Jenrya's love… 

_And now… the light is gone… the Guardian of Life has passed away… And yet, a torch remains lit… This time it's lit by yet another person… Ryo… The Shining Knight…_

**_**** End Flashback ****_**

~tsuzuku~

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**Next Chapter:**

Ruki goes further down memory lane and a startling revelation about her relationship with Jenrya is discovered…  Ryo is stuck in traffic, adding to already intense atmosphere about his own revelation to Ruki… What is Ryo's role in Jenrya's death? Will Ruki and Ryo still get married even if Ruki is still very much attached to the memory of Jenrya? Will the phoenix of their love rise from the ashes will a new phoenix be born? Find out in the next installment of Phoenix…

**Author's Notes:**

Finally, I've finished writing something after having a one-year break… I hope that you'll enjoy this… R/R!

Please check out my other stories as well that are collecting dust in the archives of Fanfiction.net…

Also, please check out Takari-san's stories as well… [she's my imoto, you know? J]

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Leaving behind the lost memories of the past, the silvery rays of the moon continues to shine over the world…

_~ **Ja Matte** ~_

_ ~ * ~ silver moonlight ~ * ~_


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